The moment you've all been waiting for...Gale is back. And lots of other stuff happens too ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or any of its characters.

Chapter 7

It wasn't until during dinner that Katniss had remembered about the rescue mission. The conversation about appointments with Finnick had put it out of her thoughts. It was the sight of the Hawthornes sitting together that made her think of him. She then realized that it was the first time she had seen them since arriving in District 13. She excused herself from the table as she went over to greet them. Her pace quickened and by the end she was running towards them. His mother was first to see her and rose as she approached.

"Hazelle!" Katniss cried as she embraced his mother.

"Hello Katniss." she said wrapping her in a hug.

"I'm so glad you are alive…all of you." Katniss said acknowledging Gale's three younger siblings. Katniss pulled up a chair and sat with the Hawthornes. She looked at Rory to see how he was feeling at the moment. She was relieved to see a neutral expression, instead of the one filled with animosity that he had last time she was in his presence. Posy left her seat to come and sit in Katniss' lap. Posy gave her a big hug and told her she glad she was ok. She asked how the Hawthornes were doing. They were happy to be alive but she could tell Gale's siblings did not enjoy living in District 13. She could totally understand. She pulled Hazelle aside after their short conversation.

"They left to rescue him today. He could be home as soon as tomorrow. I just thought you should know."

"Thank you." she said gripping Katniss' hand. "How are you doing?"

"Not good. I just want him back."

"We all do. Things just don't seem the same without him."

"I'll let you know when he gets back…if he gets back." she said correcting herself. She couldn't help but get a little teary-eyed when she realized that just because they went to rescue him didn't mean that he was coming back. "I've got to go."

"We'll see you around. If you need anything Katniss, you can find us in Compartment 323."

"Thank you Mrs. Hawthorne." she said giving her one more hug. She wanted to talk to her more but the setting wasn't ideal. She also didn't want Rory, Vick, or Posy to overhear anything. She returned to Finnick who was still working on his dinner. Katniss had lost her appetite over the course of the last few minutes. Instead of eating, she shifted her food around the plate.

"Katniss, you need to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"You're thinking of him, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Finish your dinner and then we'll get an update." he told her. She nodded her head and ate as quickly as she could. She needed to know what was happening. Once they were finished eating, they walked to the Control Room. Unfortunately, they weren't allowed inside. Coin was having an important meeting, which they did not have clearance to attend. Katniss kicked the wall after the voice on the intercom denied their request.

"It's ok Katniss. We'll go to the underground hangar and wait for them there." Finnick said. She wished there was a better option but unfortunately, there wasn't. They went to the large, dimly lit room and waited. Katniss quickly grew impatient and started pacing.

"Can you keep still?" Finnick asked. "You're making me nervous just watching you."

"So don't watch me." she said.

"Sit down." he said patting the concrete beside him. She let out a loud sigh and reluctantly sat next to him.

"Stay here. I'll be right back." he said before standing up. She watched as he went to the wall that shelved the tools and equipment. He calmly searched the drawers until he found what he was looking for. She couldn't tell exactly what it was with the distance between them. She could hear him snip something twice before returning to her.

"Here take this." he said tossing a long piece of twine in her lap.

"What is this for?" she asked.

"Knot-tying."

"Why?"

"To take your mind off of everything. Trust me, it helps." he said. She watched him first as he started with a simple knot. She looked at her piece of twine and wondered what to do with it. She started working on it until she finally had something. Her end product was a small noose.

"That's not funny." he said exchange his piece of twine with her. She watched him as he gingerly untied her creation. "See if you can make this one." he said as he began the knot. Katniss followed him, repeating the steps he demonstrated. They kept this up, and she followed him as the knots became more and more difficult.

"Finnick, this is boring." she told him as she tossed her final knot at him.

"It passes the time."

"When are they getting back? Shouldn't they be back by now?"

"The Capitol is a while away, even by hovercraft. I'm sure they are taking every precaution so they don't get caught."

"I just need to see him."

"I know you do. You know it isn't easy for me either. Johanna's there too. " he said. Katniss rolled her eyes at him in annoyance. "What was that for?"

"You know I don't know like her."

"What has Johanna Mason ever done to you?"

"She flirted with my boyfriend right in front of me several times, and she dug a knife into my arm."

"She was saving your life."

"It still hurt. It's not like she's my biggest fan anyway so what does it matter."

"She's just jealous of you, Katniss."

"Why would she be jealous of me?" Katniss asked him.

"You have everything she wished she still had. You have your family and an attractive boyfriend. You are happy."

"Maybe she could be happy if she lost her attitude."

"That whole tough girl image isn't really her. You have to understand where she's coming from Katniss. She has no one apart from me. Even then, we only see each other once a year, twice maybe on the off chance that one of our tributes wins. That isn't enough. She has built a wall that is so solid that even I have a hard time breaking it down. She's not going to let someone she barely knows try to destroy it."

"I guess I never really even tried." Katniss said.

"Well maybe you can once she comes back…if she does."

"What do you think they'll do if the mission is unsuccessful?"

"Let's not worry about that until it happens."

They sat on the ground for another hour, in silence as they practiced their knots again. Katniss could feel the drowsiness starting to settle in. She rested her head against Finnick's shoulder to provide some support.

"Come on, Katniss. We should probably get back."

"No I want to stay here."

"You have to sleep. If you fall asleep here, you're just going to be regretting it tomorrow."

"Just a half hour more." she said yawning.

"Fine." he said. Her head remained on his shoulder as she closed her eyes. She could feel herself drifting away from reality. As much as she tried to hang on, she couldn't.

When Katniss opened her eyes, she was tucked into her hospital bed. She noticed another IV in her arm. 'Seriously, how many times is this going to happen?' she thought to herself.

"Finnick?" she called into the air, wondering if he was still on the other side of the curtain. She heard nothing. "Finnick, are you over there?" He must have still been asleep…or knocked out. She still wasn't sure what was in the IV drip that hung to the side or her. At least now it was empty. She waited quietly for Finnick to be roused from his sleep.

"Katniss!" he called to her.

"I'm here. Did they drug us?"

"I think so, you have an IV too?"

"Yeah. How long do you think we've been out?" she asked him.

"I'm not sure. I can't even see a clock from here."

"Me either." she said. She heard footsteps approaching them. "Pretend you are asleep." she said. Katniss closed her eyes and made her body go limp in case a nurse was returning. She heard the person come into her side on the curtained off section.

"You can open your eyes. I know you're not sleeping." the voice said. It was Haymitch. She watched as he opened the center curtain so Finnick was in view. "You too Odair." he said.

"What happened?" Katniss asked. She knew he wouldn't be visiting without a reason.

"We got them both." he said with a grin.

"So Gale and Johanna are here?" Finnick asked from confirmation.

"Yes they are here."

"When can we see them?" Katniss asked.

"Whoa, slow down sweetheart. They are still being evaluated. They were tortured pretty badly. We need to assess what condition they are in."

"You'll let us know when we can see them, right?" she asked.

"Yes I will." he said.

Before Haymitch left, she asked him to tell Prim to come down see her. After she told her sister the good news, she then requested for her sister to remove her IV. Her sister looked uncertain if she should be doing it, but after Katniss explained that the nurses were drugging her, she didn't seem to mind. She asked Prim how to properly remove it in case she found herself in need of removing it herself. Prim then moved on to Finnick's IV. Katniss got out of bed and hugged her sister before she left to make her rounds in the infirmary. She then walked over to Finnick's bed and hopped in next to him. She felt her mouth turn upwards in the largest smile she had since arriving in District 13. Gale was alive and out of the hands of the Capitol. There would no more worrying about the types of torture they were inflicting on him or whether or not she would ever see him again. In a few hours, they would be reunited.

Katniss looked over at Finnick, whom she expected to be sharing in her happiness but instead found him looking down at his lap with a sullen expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked as her smile disappeared.

"It's just bittersweet. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that Gale and Johanna are safe. I just wish she could have made it back as well."

"I know." she said taking his hand.

"I took care of her for so long…I'm not sure what I should even do now."

"Finnick, I know I didn't know her but I'm sure she would want for you to be happy."

"It's hard."

"I know it's hard, and I know it doesn't count for much, but you have me. Just remember that."

"Maybe you could help me take my mind off of it. Tell me something funny."

"I'm not a funny person."

"Tell me that song about Haymitch then." he said resting back on the pillows propped up behind him.

"It's more mean than funny."

"I'd still like to hear it now."

"Ok, let me see if I can remember all of it." she said before pausing to think. When she felt she could recall it, she started to sing it.

"Our district drunk, who could it be?

Haymitch, Haymitch Abernathy

He won the second Quarter Quell

He used the force field to rebel

Now all he does is drink all day

To help him take the pain away

How many glasses does he drink?

Then you count up until your foot hits the jump rope." Katniss told him. "See, I told you it wasn't funny."

"I like mine better." he said with a small smile.

"I thought you hated it."

"Not after hearing that. They could have said a lot worse about me."

"Why would anyone say something bad about you? You're Finnick Odair." she said dramatically.

"Oh, stop it." he said bashfully.

"Am I making you blush?" Katniss asked, her smile growing wider.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Finnick said, trying to play it cool.

"Hmm. I made Finnick Odair blush." she said, feeling pleased with herself.

(Peeta POV)

It was Peeta's first day back in the bakery of District 13. Breaking his hand worked in his favor. He couldn't make the bread with his cast on which gave him some time to cope with the loss of his family. This didn't mean he was over the pain or the fact that he'd never see them again, but he had at least mentally prepared himself to working in the bakery of District 13. His muscle had atrophied quite a bit, slowing the time it took to make the bread. At this rate he'd be lucky if he could get everything done in an hour before the lunch rush started.

He thought about the announcement that was made earlier that day by President Coin. Gale Hawthorne and Johanna Mason had been rescued. It's not that he wasn't happy about their return; he was just a little sad about the effects. Now that Gale was back, he knew that he wouldn't be spending time with Katniss. He knew she said it wouldn't change things between them, even though Peeta had told her it would. Now it was her chance to prove him wrong. He highly doubted that seeing as he hadn't seen her since they returned from District 12.

Peeta suddenly saw Prim burst through door.

"Peeta!" she said, out of breath.

"Katniss?" he asked with concern.

"No she's fine. It's something else. You have to come with me."

"Prim, I'm kind of busy."

"I wouldn't have come here if it wasn't important." she told him. Peeta gave her an inquisitive look as he wondered what could be so urgent.

"I'll be out in 5 minutes, after I pull the bread out of the oven." he said. She nodded before she left the bakery. When the timer started to beep, Peeta removed the loaves of bread from the oven and placed them on the cooling racks. He removed his apron and joined Prim outside the dining hall. She was walking so quickly that it was hard even for him to keep up with her.

"Prim what's going on?" he asked once they were on the elevator.

"You know how they rescued some of the victims of the fire bombings the day after we escaped?"

"Yes but I don't see where you are going with this."

"Some of the victims couldn't be identified because they were unconscious or wrapped in gauze."

"And?" Peeta asked in anticipation.

"One of the patients...he started calling out your name today." she said with a grin. Peeta could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Someone he knew was alive.

"Did he say who he was?" Peeta asked her.

"No, all he has done is asked for you over and over. I came to get you as soon as I heard him." When the elevator doors opened, Prim and Peeta rushed down the hall to the burn victim's ward. Prim led him through a sea of patients in hospital beds to the corner of the room. He could hear the faint voice talking into the air. Whoever it was seem more coherent now.

"Where's Peeta? Please someone tell me he's safe. He has to be safe." the voice said through sobs. Peeta immediately recognized it as his older brother's.

"Carac!" Peeta choked as the tears flooded to his eyes. His brother was alive. He leaned over and hugged his brother who was heavily bandaged. Only his face was exposed.

"Peeta." he said with relief.

"Don't worry, I'm here." he said.

"Did anybody else…?" he trailed off.

"No, just us." Peeta said.

"When the fire bombs started, I went looking for you. I went into the Seam. There was fire everywhere and things started to explode. Fire was shooting everywhere. At one point it got on me…it hurt so much. Someone saved me though. I don't know who it was but they saved me."

"Shh, Carac, you need to rest."

"No I want you to know. This man, he put me out and then dragged me to the meadow. For a while, I thought all was lost. I heard someone say that the hovercrafts had already gone, but then they came back. The next day, they came back to rescue us." he said with a smile.

"I'm can't believe you are here." Peeta said.

"How do I look?" he asked. Peeta couldn't help but laugh. Only he brother would worry about something like that.

"It's hard to say."

"My face, though. Does it look alright?"

"Same as ever." Peeta said.

"Good, I need to look good for the girls in District 13."

"I'm not sure they'll be into you." Peeta said laughing again at his brother.

"Why not?" he asked.

"You're not really their type. You're too pretty for them."

"Challenged accepted." he said.

"It wasn't a challenge."

"It is now." he said with a wink. "There are some cute nurses here. Maybe I'll start with one of them."

"How are you supposed to do anything? You're wrapped in gauze and can barely move."

"It'll work, trust me."

"Have you seen anyone else around here that we know?" Peeta asked his brother.

"No, I haven't really been conscious before today. They kept knocking me out because the pain was too much to handle. You should go look."

"No, I'm not leaving you." Peeta said unwilling to go.

"Peeta, it's fine. I'll be right here." Carac said. Peeta decided to talk around to see if he could identify any of the other burn victims. It was hard for him walking around seeing the effects of the fire bombings marked on the skin of the patients. He had never seen anyone with scars like that before. Some were worse than others. Suddenly from behind him, came a sunny voice calling his name, which he recognized immediately. He braced himself for whatever he might see.

"Delly." he said putting on a smile as he turned to face her. From where he was standing, she didn't look too bad. Her face had remained untouched by the flames and there were no bandages covering her skin. He rushed towards her and took her in his arms. "I thought you were dead." he said as relief rushed through him.

"I thought I was dead too." she said with a laugh. "I thought about you Peeta. I hoped you had made it out."

"I was lucky." he told her breaking his embrace. He sat down next to her bedside and looked down to take one of her hands. As he held onto her hand, he couldn't help but notice the pink and red scars that covered her arms. She must have noticed his stare because she quickly withdrew her hand from his and hid her arms under the covers.

"They're horrible, aren't they?" she said squirming around.

"No they're not."

"Peeta, you don't have to lie for me. They're ugly."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I've just never seen burns like that before."

"They tried to do some skin grafts but they couldn't find any skin on my body to use. It all looks like that." she said looking down with tears in her eyes. He hated seeing his best friend like that.

"I don't like seeing you this sad." he said sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I know…and I know I shouldn't be complaining. I know I should be happy to be alive. It's just hard, looking down and knowing I'm going to have these scars for the rest of my life."

"What about the rest of your family? Did they make it out?" he asked. Her expression worsened as she shook her head. "Maybe they are around here somewhere. I didn't even know Carac was here until today."

"No I checked Peeta. They're all gone." she said. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she cuddled closer to him with her head resting on his chest and her hand resting on his side.

"I'm sorry to hear that Delly. You're parents…they were good people."

"They were, weren't they?"

"Of course they were. They couldn't have raised such a sweet girl if they weren't."

"Peeta." she huffed.

"What, you are. What's so wrong with that?" he asked with a smile.

"Nothing." she said with a grin. Peeta lightly brush his fingertips across her arm before taking her hand. He felt her whole body shudder.

"I'm sorry. Does that hurt?" he asked.

"No, it's just a little sensitive."

"When do you think they'll let you out of here?" Peeta asked her.

"A few days, I think."

"Have they asked you what your occupation is? I know they've been asking all the refugees."

"No, not yet." she told him.

"Tell them you were a baker back in District 12."

"Peeta, my family made shoes. I don't know the first thing about baking."

"So I'll teach you. Please, I'm the only one in the bakery. It would be nice to have someone else to keep me company."

"Ok, I will."

Katniss and Finnick were discharged the hospital and were shown to their living quarters by Haymitch. He showed Finnick to his room before taking Katniss to the compartment where her mother and Prim are were housed. Katniss was glad that Finnick was just a few compartments over from her. Even though Gale was back, she knew that she would still need to go to Finnick for some things.

"Can I see him now?" she asked Haymitch impatiently.

"You're not scheduled 'til 3." he told her.

"What am I suppose to do for the next 3 hours?"

"Clean yourself up a bit. You're looking a little bit rough." he said.

"I look fine." she snapped back.

"Maybe I'll send the prep team up here. I'm sure they'd love to work their magic."

"You wouldn't!" Katniss said with fear.

"It would be interesting to see that they would do with you." he said with a guffaw. "I'll be back here quarter of three. If you come searching for me, I'll make sure this meeting won't happen." he told her before walking down the hall. Katniss typed the key code written on a piece of paper into the lock. It beeped twice before letting her inside. It was a small room, identical to the layout of Peeta's room. She sat on the edge of the bed to the right of the room and waited.

About 10 minutes in, she could no longer sit still. Haymitch's comments about her appearance played through her head. She left the room for the bathroom across the hall. She retrieved a towel and made her way into one of the shower stalls telling herself that she was doing this for herself, not because of what Haymitch said. She undressed herself in the small changing area before walking closer to the showerhead. Her hand reached for the knob attached to the wall and turned it to the midpoint of the red line above it. Katniss was surprised to find warm water running from it. She let the water run down her body for a full minute before she started washing her hair. When she was finished her shower, she wrapped the towel around her, and grabbed her clothes before making a trail of wet footprints back to her room. She opened one of the drawers and found a set of clothing that was her size. Once she had dressed herself and braided her hair, she laid on her bed and waited. She closed her eyes, deciding that a nap would be the best way to quickly pass the time.

Katniss woke to the sound of Haymitch's obnoxious pounding on the door. She only hoped that he hadn't been waiting too long. She looked at the small clock over the door to find he was right on time. Katniss sprung from her bed and opened the door.

"Ready sweetheart?" he asked her. She nodded her head and followed her down the hall. He stopped in front of Finnick's room and knocked a few times. Finnick appeared and joined them as the walked to the elevator. Once inside, Haymitch pressed the lowest button on the wall. They were going to the lowest level of District 13. As the elevator started descending, Haymitch started to speak.

"Gale and Johanna have been observed for the past four days. They haven't had any visitors making the two of you the first familiar faces they will see. Even though they have been monitored and evaluated, the doctors are still unsure about how they might react to you." he said droning on in a steady voice, like it was a speech he had to memorize.

"What do you mean?" asked Katniss as he paused while they got off the elevator. The three of them walked in unison down the hall.

"The Capitol is known for their unique forms of torture and it seems like they are always inventing new ways to harm their victims. We aren't sure what sort of triggers may be lurking inside their heads. That said, if anything negative should happen, we will have to remove you, for everyone's safety. Do you understand?" he asked. Katniss and Finnick answered, "Yes" in unison. They walked in silence the rest of the way. Katniss thought about the fact that they had been there for four days, indicating that the nurses had definitely drugged them for at least 2 of those days. She pushed that thought to the back of her head. That wasn't important now. She was about to see Gale for the first time in weeks. She could only hope that they would pick up right where they left off.

They were met by a doctor named Halifax, waiting for them at the end of the hall. He explained that his teams would be observing them through a two-way mirror on the wall. They were each given a bracelet with a red button to push if they felt like they were in danger. Katniss started to feel nervous about all the precautions that were being taken. How bad could Gale really be? The doctor keyed in a seven-digit code before the door opened. Katniss slowly made her way inside, unsure about what she would encounter. She saw Gale sitting up in a hospital bed. He looked about 15 pound thinner than the last time she saw him. He had a few visible bruised but there were no serious injuries. She could also see electrodes attached to various parts of his body.

"Hey, Catnip." he said with a straight face.

"Gale!" she exclaimed as she rushed towards him. When she reached him, she placed her hands on the sides of his face as she drew herself closer to him, her lips touching his. She heard him mutter something between her kisses, which she chose to ignore. There would be plenty of time for talking later. She felt his lips move further away from hers before she heard the words he must have been repeating.

"Katniss, stop." he told her. Even though she could hear the words this time, she had no intension of stopping herself. He just needed to be reminded about how good it made him feel. A few seconds later, she felt him push her away from him with force.

"Katniss, I told you to stop!" he shouted at her. She watched as the anger melted from his face, showing the pain lying underneath.

"Gale what's wrong?" she asked bringing her hand towards his face.

"Don't touch me." he said holding his hand in front of him. The door opened as the doctor walked in.

"That's enough for today." Dr. Halifax said to her.

"But I'm not done here."

"I think it would be best if you left." Dr. Halifax said.

"Just a little more time." she said.

"Just get out of here Katniss." Gale said as he clutched the side of the bed with his eyes closed. She wondered what she had triggered.

"Miss Everdeen, this way." the doctor said escorting her out.

"What was that? Why was he doing that?" she asked once the door was closed.

"We can't be certain. Once we take a look at the data we've collected, we'll have a better sense. You may go now, Miss Everdeen." He took her bracelet before walking back into the observation room.

Katniss started walking back to the elevator and could hear a set of hurried footsteps following her. She turned around to find Haymitch walking towards her, clearly unhappy.

"Do you think I like talking just to hear the sound of my own voice?"

"Sometimes." she said.

"Don't get smart with me, sweetheart. I said those things to you for a reason."

"Well I didn't think it would be like that."

"That's the problem. You expected a specific outcome. That you'd be able to fall back into his arms like nothing had happened."

"So what if I did?" Katniss said. "Gale Hawthorne is hard to break."

"Well, guess what, he's broken!" Haymitch shouted at her. She felt her anger take over as she slammed Haymitch into the wall. "Go ahead, take it out on me. It's not like I can do anything to fix him." he said. She backed away from Haymitch and got onto the elevator. She hit the button marked three to go back to her floor. She waited in front of Finnick's door, eager for his return. She had to talk to someone about what just happened. She tried not to think too much into it. Maybe there was an explanation for his behavior. She then wondered how Finnick was doing with Johanna, and what condition she was in.

It was an hour before Finnick returned to his room. Katniss gasped when she saw him holding an icepack to his eye.

"Finnick, what happened?" she asked, scrambling to her feet.

"You're boyfriend attacked me." he said as he typed his key code and entered the room.

"Why?" Katniss said in shock.

"I cannot be sure, but I think he had a flashback to the end of the Quell when Johanna and I were chasing you. As soon as he saw me, he ripped off the electrodes, came at me, and punched me in the face."

"That's horrible." she said.

"That not all. He kept telling me to 'stay away from her'. I'm guessing he meant you." Finnick said. Katniss found this surprising since Gale didn't show any affection toward her during their reunion. "How was he around you?"

"He pushed me away when I tried to kiss him and told me not to touch me. I was kicked out after maybe 2 minutes of being with him."

"He just needs a little time Katniss. He's still dealing with the trauma. Who even knows what they did to him in the Capitol."

"I just thought he'd be strong enough to resist that."

"Everyone has their breaking point Katniss." he said taking her hand. "Time will make it better."

"I hope so. How was Johanna?"

"Same as ever. She didn't take it well when she found out about Annie though. I think she was more concerned about me than she was about herself to be honest." he said. Katniss sat in silence. It didn't seem fair that Johanna was ok and Gale wasn't. It could only mean that Gale got the worst of it. They were trying to break him to get to her.

Ok, before you get upset, Gale is not hijacked. You will find out in the upcoming chapters what is wrong with him. I decided to go against hijacking since many of you requested not to have that happen to him. On the other hand, I didn't think he'd come back completely fine...he was tortured after all. Don't worry though, Gale will get better and there will be more Galeniss to come!

On another sad note, something is wrong with my computer and it's currently being repaired. Lucky for you I uploaded this chapter onto FanFiction before my computer stopped working. I managed to write two more long chapters that I did not back up and now they might be lost forever :( Some reviews would really brighten my day.